£900k boost for electric vehicles in the North East
Wed 11 December 2013
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Over a hundred new jobs are to be created from five new low carbon technology initiatives in NE England to be supported by £900,000 from the Regional Growth Fund and the Collaborative Projects Fund. The projects include the development of software which will help EV owners calculate residual values and the total cost of ownership.
The Government’s Regional Growth Fund is a £3.2 billion fund designed to help companies in England grow. So far, £2.6 billion of funding has been allocated to support projects and programmes committed to deliver sustainable jobs and economic growth.
The projects to be assisted by the funds will be:
- Route Monkey will develop a software package that analyzes usage patterns of EVs to help work out residual values and optimize the total cost of ownership.
- AVID Technology Group Ltd and Newcastle University are working to develop an improved DC fan and water pump with new motor and controller assembly, which will improve performance, reduce weight and costs. The project will create 46 direct new jobs.
- Seaward Electronics Ltd and Teesside University are to develop an EV charging point tester which would ensure safety, functionality and efficiency of commercial and domestic charging points. Eight new jobs will be created.
- Sevcon Ltd and Wolverine Tube are to model and develop a novel High Voltage Low Power Inverter for use in electric vehicles (EVs) that can also improve the efficiency of non-EVs. Twenty-five direct new jobs will be created by this research and development project.
- Hyperdrive and Wylam Professional Services (WPS) aims to develop products and associated engineering services in data loggers and GPRS enabled control ECUs for automotive, defense, marine and portable power applications. The project will generate three direct, and four indirect jobs.
“This continued investment is great news for the companies directly affected, but crucial for the UK’s ability to develop a comprehensive infrastructure that supports the take-up of low carbon vehicles,” said Dr. Colin Herron, managing director of Zero Carbon Futures, which oversees the Collaborative Projects Fund.
The fund is managed by Gateshead College and Zero Carbon Futures and administered by New Skills Consulting.
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